HARTFORD — Sebastian County residents soon will have another option for off-road recreation on Poteau Mountain near Hartford.

The U.S. Forest Service picked up around 6,000 acres of land on the mountain in the southern part of Sebastian County in 1997. John Strom of the Poteau/Cold Springs Ranger District of the Forest Service explained that in that block of land, local residents had created a well-utilized multi-use trail. The Forest Service has maintained the area since then, but wanted to make the just under 22-mile trail safer and more sustainable.

“We inherited a nightmare in 1997,” Strom said. “It was acquired in the Weyerhaeuser-Forest Service land exchange. We ended up with the land, and it had multiple dead-end trails. It was steep, rough, and it was losing lots of soil. It was very brushy and had severe erosion. We spent three years trying to stabilize the soil.”

Strom said the Forest Service made upgrades to the land, including soil and water restoration, installing drainage structures, and seeding in an effort to stabilize the soil.

Around 2000, the Forest Service had to close many trails because they were unsafe and unmaintainable. Strom said after receiving numerous phone calls from the local residents who used the trails pleading to keep them open, public meetings were held regarding the trails on the federal land.

“We told them it was unsafe,” Strom said. “We’d try to work with the local community to see what we could do.”

That resulted in the Forest Service continuing to maintain and clean the manageable areas, closing unsafe areas and allowing the experienced local crowd to continue to use it. The closed areas remained closed, leaving a 22-mile loop open, where routine maintenance was performed for years.

Still, Strom said, the maintenance work was never enough as it was still considered unsafe for mass use and was not advertised on the Forest Service recreational trail site.

Strom said because it is a difficult process for the state to distribute federal money back to federal agencies, the 80/20 matching grant was applied for through the Mansfield Rural Economic Development Council, in conjunction with Sebastian County and the U.S. Forest Service. The city of Hartford also will participate in the project, Strom said.

The Recreational Trails Program is administered by the highway department and provides funding to local project sponsors to construct and maintain motorized and non-motorized recreational trails and trail support facilities.

The program provides for an 80 percent federal share and 20 percent non-federal share for each project. The main priority in allocating funding is for the construction of new trails and for major maintenance of existing trails.

Marion Mathis, retired economic development coordinator for the city of Mansfield and former director of the Mansfield Rural Economic Development Council, pointed to the tremendous economic boom in Polk County from the off-highway vehicle trails and mixed use roads at Wolf Pen Gap near Mena. He estimated the Mena area sees $1.5 million a year in tax revenue from the trails alone.

Mathis, who participated in the grant writing process, spoke of the abundant use at Wolf Pen Gap and hoped the opening of a new trail on Poteau Mountain would alleviate some of the pressures seen in that area.

“We always think of Wolf Pen Gap,” Mathis said. “They have about 20,000 visitors a year and that’s $1.5 million in revenue for that area. They’re running over with ATV use of folks from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, and it’s restricting their use. It’d alleviate some of the pressure they have down there and give us some economic activity and development here in this area.”

Strom said although the grant requires 20 percent in matching funds, the contribution will be in labor and equipment.

Sebastian County Judge David Hudson said he felt supporting the project would be beneficial for the county. The county’s road department will assist in construction on the project by providing labor and equipment.

“It definitely is an enhancement to the tourism and it will be a recreational enhancement for the region and that area of the county,” Hudson said. “We feel like it’s a good project to support. It’s going to have an effect not only for locals, but for those in the region as well.”

Larry Edwards, owner of Westark Yamaha on Grand Avenue in Fort Smith, said the trail would provide a tremendous economic boost for all-terrain and motor-sports retailers, as well as stimulating the local economy.

“It would be a good benefit for businesses and for people to have another choice to ride, and hopefully it’ll be a benefit to the state,” Edwards said.

Edwards also pointed to Wolf Pen Gap’s economic boost for Mena.

“Opening this trail would be a big boost in tourism and it might revitalize a part of my business with the myth that there’s no place to ride in this area,” Edwards said. “The Poteau Mountain trail, hopefully, will grow into something that brings in tourism and be beneficial to the economy.”

Strom said plans for the renovation project include creating five access points from the roadway to the trail, installing two, one-acre gravel parking lots with trees and picnic tables, water diversion structures and arched culverts, and relocating about 6 ½-miles of the trail to remove it from the steeper slopes.

The project will include a bathroom area and information boards.

Strom said once final details on the project are finalized, work will begin and should take about a year to complete.

“It’ll be safer and it’ll be sustainable,” Strom said.

Once the project is complete, Strom said the trail will be advertised on the Forest Service website.

“We think we’re doing something good for the environment and for the economy, as this not only will be a benefit for the local users to enjoy, but for people nationwide,” Strom said. “It’s a well-kept secret that will enhance recreation opportunities for people in Sebastian County.”

In the meantime, Strom said, avid trail riders still have options on the mountain, the Sugar Creek Trail south of Booneville and the Fourche Mountain Trail just south of Waldron.